Nutrition is incredibly important to physical health in humans, and the saying “you are what you eat” is surprisingly accurate. Beyond getting a healthy diet full of protein, vegetables, and fiber, it’s been shown that poor diets can lead to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. Unfortunately, in today’s day and age, the food people put into their system is incredibly processed and often doesn’t have as much nutrition as a person needs.
Due to this, some people choose to turn to multivitamins for their nutritional needs that they may be lacking from their diet. However, the science behind whether or not there are actual benefits stemming from multivitamin use is shaky at best. Therefore, it’s important to dive deeper into whether or not multivitamins can actually benefit human health.
What are Multivitamins?
For those who have never taken them before, multivitamins are supplements taken daily that contain different vitamins and minerals, usually the daily recommended dose, in a variety of forms. The idea behind multivitamins is to fill nutritional gaps that may exist due to a poor diet and they can vary in just how many vitamins they provide a person.
5 Noted Benefits of Taking Multivitamins
With the definition of multivitamins outlined above, it’s important to look at the benefits to women’s and men’s multivitamins that a person can experience. The most prominent five benefits include:
- Improved long-term vitality in life
One of the biggest benefits to taking multivitamins that is focused on within research is the vitality impact that multivitamins have. Given that they provide the daily recommended dose of key vitamins the human body needs, they have been linked to longer-term vitality in a person’s life. This simply means that a person can live a longer life, but more importantly stay healthy and strong during that time.
- Multivitamins can help make up for nutrient deficient days
Everyone is guilty of cheat days where they just didn’t eat as well as they should have. Multivitamins can help counteract some of this by ensuring you are still getting your daily allotment of vitamins that your body desperately needs for growth and energy.
- The potential for a reduced risk of disease
The studies on the effects of multivitamins on the human body are still pending and constantly underway, but newer studies have shown that there may be a reduced risk of certain diseases. This stems from the fact that, again, multivitamins provide a person with the nutrients their body needs to function on a daily basis, which naturally helps the body to fight against infection and other problems that can potentially devolve into disease.
- Potentially improved memory later in life
One unique benefit that multivitamins may potentially have on a person in the long-term is improved memory. The effects of multivitamins in older individuals was studied to determine what benefits may exist, and it was found that there was evidence of improved memory through the daily use of multivitamins. However, this doesn’t take into account the fact that there are certain diseases which can cause memory loss as a major side effect.
- The slowing or prevention of eyesight loss
Finally, similar to improved memory, there is evidence to support the fact that multivitamins may result in a reduce risk of the loss of eyesight in the future. By providing the body with key nutrients, a person’s eyesight can be bolstered for longer and put off the time until they need to worry about seeking out an optometrist. As with the other benefits on this list, though, it does not take into account whether there is a preexisting condition in a person.
Are There Risks to Taking Multivitamins?
For the average person, no, taking multivitamins should be completely safe without adverse side effects. However, if you are currently on any form of medication that already provides you with certain nutrients, it’s possible you may overload your body with too many vitamins. Always speak with your doctor before starting multivitamins to ensure there is nothing that may create conflict within your body.
The Bottom Line
Before taking any type of supplement, including multivitamins, take the time to consult your doctor to see if they believe it is a smart choice. Always listen to the advice of your primary care provider rather than making medical decisions on your own. For the majority of people, multivitamins can have beneficial impacts on health, but it likely won’t make a major difference in the risk of disease based on current studies.
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